Demigods, or half-bloods, are a race of beings who are half-mortal, half-god. They possess mortal souls and are vulnerable to old age and death; however, their godly blood endows them with special abilities that allow them to achieve feats usually not possible by humans.

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Description

Demigods are the end result of a god and a human having a child together. Because these children are part god, they have above average reflexes, an affinity for the Greek or Latin language, and may have some level of control or skill over the realm of their godly parent. Most of them also have ADHD and dyslexia to help them learn Latin and ancient Greek and to help them concentrate in battle.

While most demigods are created much like regular humans, children of Athena are born from their mother's thoughts merging with their father's. In this way, Athena remains a virgin goddess and it reflects how she herself was born, sprouting from the head of Zeus. It is unknown if other virgin goddesses or gods in general have a special way to have children like Athena.

When a demigod reaches a certain age, normally early teens, their powers start to manifest. At this time, demigods will release a scent that monsters are able to detect. This scent will become stronger if the child learns they are a demigod. Also, if the demigod is a child of a powerful god, the scent can become even stronger. If the child never learns that they are a demigod or they are a child of a minor god, monsters may overlook them. It is around this time that they are escorted to Camp Half-Blood usually by satyrs, where they are placed in one of the cabins, each honoring a different god or goddess.

Most demigods wait to be claimed. Children of Athena are claimed at birth, while others have to demonstrate some form of their parents' trait to be noticed, either through cunning, powers, skills like archery, or even beauty. Otherwise, they are placed in Hermes' cabin, as he is the patron to travelers, anyone is welcomed there, including children of minor gods who aren't important enough to have a cabin. After the Second Olympian War, Percy Jackson made all of the gods swear on the River Styx to recognize all of their children at the age of thirteen, and that each god and goddess (including the minor gods and goddesses) would get a cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

Few demigods have full-blooded siblings (with the exception of twins), as their godly parent will usually leave their mortal consorts not long after a child is born, or sometimes even before that. However, some examples of demigod siblings in the series include Nico and Bianca di Angelo, Connor and Travis Stoll, Jason and Thalia Grace (who have the same father, but in different aspects), and Castor and Pollux.

Greek demigods often go on quests given to them by the Oracle of Delphi, whom is currently in the body of Rachel Elizabeth Dare. If the demigod is Roman, they are usually issued a quest by an augur or, in at least one instance, a Roman god.

Appearance

Demigods are completely indistinguishable from humans. They do not have a divine form, however they do inherit some traits from their god parent's divine form. For example, Percy inherited Poseidon's black hair, sea-green eyes and brooding look, while Annabeth Chase inherited Athena's startling grey eyes. Thalia and Jason Grace inherited Zeus' electric blue eyes and regal features and Nico and Bianca di Angelo inherited Hades' black hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. The children of Aphrodite inherit her beauty and appeal. The children of Hermes inherit his elfish facial features and Luke inherited his blue eyes. Children of Ares inherit his sneer and tall, bulky appearance. Children of Hephaestus, such as Leo Valdez, Jake Mason, Harley, Nyssa, and Beckendorf inherit his skills with mechanics, resulting in them normally having large muscles and calloused hands (from working in the forges all day long). Magnus inherited Frey's long blonde hair and Alex Fierro got his/her sly smile from Loki. According to The Crown of Ptolemy, when an Egyptian god looks at a Greek demigod, they see them as a human surrounded by "a powerful ultraviolet aura."

It is unknown whether a demigod's eye and hair color depends on what form their parent took while consorting with their mortal parents. Some demigods with the same divine parent have a different color.

Traits

There are ways to hide or mask the scent, but if a demigod realizes who they truly are, their scent will reach its peak. The scent of children of the Big Three is much more potent than that of the children of lesser gods. Demigods' personalities tend to vary based on their divine parenthood; for example Percy is reckless and rebellious resembling Poseidon and the untamed seas, Annabeth inherits her mother's wits and intelligence, Clarisse is very violent and warlike, much like her father, Jason and Thalia are strict and mature like their father, Zeus/Jupiter, Leo is crafty and creative, and understands machines more than people, like his dad, Hephaestus, Nico is very dark and moody like his dad and enjoys spending time with the dead more than the living like his father Hades, and Connor and Travis Stoll are mischievous and cunning and like to play pranks and steal things, like their dad, Hermes. There are currently five known children of the Big Three since the death of Bianca di Angelo, a daughter of Hades: Percy Jackson (son of Poseidon), Thalia Grace (daughter of Zeus), Nico di Angelo (son of Hades), Jason Grace (son of Jupiter), and Hazel Levesque (daughter of Pluto). Most demigods also have ADHD and/or dyslexia (though it varies from demigod to demigod). Demigods are relatively stronger, more agile, and more durable than regular mortals, and have more resistance to diseases.

Demigods are often labeled as 'troublemakers' at school. This is due mostly to the result that most demigods are ADHD. A trait shared by demigods is their feeling of not being able to belong, since them not quite belonging in the mortal world, and not quite belonging in Mount Olympus.

Demigods have a distinct scent due to a spell cast by Lamia, a monstrous daughter of Hecate, which allows monsters to find them. It is also extremely dangerous for a demigod to use a cellphone As Monsters are attracted to demigod voices traveling through the air. Many demigods indirectly change the course of history, and demigod conflicts usually mirror conflicts in the real world; such as how when the Roman and Greek camps fought each other during the events of the American Civil War. Some powerful demigods can directly change some of the courses of history and can manipulate the minds of mortals in some events, using the the Mist to change what mortals see. Currently, Hazel Levesque, Thalia Grace, Percy Jackson, and the children of Hecate have this ability.

According to The Crown of Ptolemy, when an Egyptian god looks at a Greek demigod, they see them as a human surrounded by "a powerful ultraviolet aura." Demigods also have the ability to act as a host for an Egyptian god for at least a short period of time despite not being Blood of the Pharaohs, a requirement for Egyptian magicians to safely channel the power of a god and host one.

Greek Demigods

Greek demigods, such as Percy Jackson, are a subset of demigods who train at Camp Half-Blood, located in Long Island. They are born when a god conceives a child with a mortal while in their Greek aspect. As such, Greek demigods have an innate predisposition towards ancient Greek, and possess instinctive battle skills that manifests as ADHD.

They are assigned to a cabin dedicated to their divine parent once they are claimed. Most Greek demigods die in their teens because they are prone to being attacked and killed by monsters before making it safely to Camp Half-Blood. Very few survive to make it past their twenties.

Roman Demigods

Roman demigods, such as Jason Grace, are a subset of demigods who train at Camp Jupiter, which is located near San Francisco. They are born when a god conceives a child with a mortal while in their Roman aspect/form. They naturally speak and read Latin, as opposed to Ancient Greek to Greek demigods, and are trained in the style of the Roman legions instead of Greek warfare. Roman demigods can live in New Rome and start families.

Roman demigods start their lives at the Wolf House. It is there that Lupa decides if the child is strong or not. If she believes they are, she will spend time training the demigod skills that they will need to survive. Should the demigod make it through the training alive, Lupa will instruct them to follow their instincts to Camp Jupiter, home of the Roman Legion. However, if Lupa doesn't believe the demigod is strong enough or shows fear, it is said that they will be eaten by her and her wolves. Upon making it to Camp Jupiter, a praetor, currently Reyna will decide if the demigod can join the Legion before sending them to have their augury read. If it is favorable, the demigod can then officially join the Legion. Like the Greek demigods, they were unaware of the existence of their counterparts at Camp Half-Blood in Long Island, but some demigods, like Octavian had their suspicions.

This is due to a conflict between the two groups back during the American Civil War (and likely many other wars before), after which the gods manipulated the Mist as tightly as possible to stop the two groups from ever meeting each other again, although there have been some close calls. The head of their camp are the camp's two Praetors, who are elected demigods from the camp.

Norse Demigods

They are the progeny of the Norse gods with mortals. Unlike the Greek and Roman demigods, they do not have a formal training camp nor are dyslexic or have ADHD, and are not commonly claimed by their parent in the same manner as the Olympian Gods, instead having their parentage revealed in Valhalla or by the parent themselves telling them. Norse demigods include the children Gods have with Dwarves and Elves, such as Blitzen, the son of Freya and a Dwarf.

Other Demigods

As of The Dark Prophecy, demigods of the Yoruba mythology, an African mythology tied to that of Voodoo practices, are known to exist. Further details on the specifics of these demigods are as of yet unknown.

Abilities

Most demigods born to Olympian Gods have ADHD (although it varies between demigods and doesn't seem to be the case with Norse demigods at all), which hard-wires them for battle, and dyslexia, which they have because their brains are hardwired for reading either Ancient Greek or Latin. Demigods inherit some control over their divine parent's domain, such as Percy's ability to manipulate water or Leo's ability to manipulate fire. Some demigods also show some control of magic or curses, such as when the Apollo cabin cursed the Ares cabin to speak in rhymes, or children of Hecate, who have an innate ability to use it. Demigods also have a wide variety of other abilities that they all share, but these abilities vary depending on their godly parent, including superhuman strength, speed, superhuman senses, agility, above-average healing-factor, intelligence, durability, and endurance.

Connor and Travis Stoll, sons of Hermes - 'Travis' is a pun on the word 'travel', since Hermes is the patron of travelers, and 'Connor' is a pun on the word 'con', since Hermes is the god of thieves and con men, which was brought up in the Sea of Monsters. Also, their surname is a homonym for 'stole', again, since Hermes is the god of thieves.

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon - Percy claims his mother named him Perseus, after the son of Zeus. Perseus is a Greek name which means "destroyer." The name is a reference to Poseidon, who is known to cause destruction like storms, earthquakes, shipwrecks, etc., when angered.

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus - The name of one of the three Graces (and nine Muses) is Thalia. She too, was a daughter of Zeus. The Muse Thalia sired the Corybantes, with Apollo. This Thalia was also attracted to Apollo, saying that he was "hot."

Valentina Diaz, daughter of Aphrodite - Her name could likely be a play on Valentine's Day, which is fitting for a daughter of Aphrodite.

Will Solace, son of Apollo - Though Solace really means "to comfort in distress", just as Will comforted and healed Annabeth when she was injured, Solace could also be a play on the word "Solar".

Trivia

According to Alabaster, in Son of Magic, most demigods don't live past twenty years of age. However, this may only be referring to modern demigods, as demigods back in ancient Greece were known to live to old age and die peacefully like Perseus. Roman demigods have been shown with entire families while living in New Rome (Legacies, the children of a demigod and a mortal or the children of two demigods are also found living there).

Because demigods are commonly referred to as half-bloods, certain people who's parents aren't the same race tend to take offense to the name (such as Piper McLean).

In The Lost Hero, Piper wondered how Aphrodite could have so many children around the same age. But since gods can be in several places at once, Aphrodite can probably be pregnant in several different forms at the same time.

While the offspring of a god and a mortal is called a demigod or half-blood, the child, grandchild etc. of a demigod is called a legacy.